Allegiance to The church is a means to an end; it is not the end itself. It was intended be a hospital – that is, a place of healing – for the sinner, for the lost and forlorn, not a school for Pharisees. Or a place to hide in to protect ourselves from ourselves or from others.


Many church-goers have simply got their priorities mixed up. It is not their spouse, or their families, or their jobs, or the church, or any other mundane thing that should be the center of their lives, but Jesus Christ.


When one makes Christ the center of their lives they make an important discovery: They love their spouses, their friends, and everything else about life, better.


There is a strange paradox about Divine Love. The more you center your life in Christ, the more you love everything. Thus love of Christ is not a diversion or neglect of love for everything important to you, but adds to it.


There is nothing so baffling as one who is incongruous – that is, one who leaves the outward impression that he is above the fray, and then reveals by his actions that he is really not what he represents himself to be. And then attempts to justify himself by declaring that he is just a weak human being and ought to be forgiven. Such an one, if he is sincere, should read and ponder the parable of the foolish virgins.


Just because one is foolish enough to leave his lamp empty, or is so careless as to think it is full when in fact it is empty, when light is needed, and then expect someone else to fill it, transfers an obligation to another which is rightfully his.


Are you a stepping stone to one who follows, or are you a stumbling block? If one willingly takes your hand expecting you to lead him to safety, would you lead him into harm?


I rather suspect that those who complacently think they are close to the Lord, are in actuality far from him. But, it may be too, that those we suspect are far from the Lord, may in fact be closer to him than we think. Is that one of the reasons why we are instructed not to judge?


Stop being so concerned about the salvation of another and be more concerned about your own.


We have little control over the behavior of another; but we do have control over how we will respond to it. It may, however, take a little time for us to learn to respond properly.


He who has put on the WHOLE armor of God has little need for psychological or social defenses. The question is, have you put on the WHOLE armor of God, or does it have chinks in it?


If we discover that we have chinks in our armor, then exchange it for the WHOLE armor, not just a new one of the same.


The newness of something is not the criteria by which it is judged, but is it whole? Something may be old, and worn, and have dents in it, but if it is whole it is better than something new and shiny but has chinks in it.